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Casey Van Beek was born in Holland but raised in Los Angeles from the age of five, and fit right in to the burgeoning local \u201860s rock scene. By his teens he was playing bass and singing in The Vibrants, who opened for The Dave Clark Five and for the The Rolling Stones\u2019 first L.A. area show, and also toured with Peter and Gordon. He moved on to backing the wonderful Linda Ronstadt, along with two guys named Don Henley and Glenn Frey. When the duo left to start the Eagles, Casey headed to Tulsa with Don Preston to record on Don’s new album on Leon Russell\u2019s Shelter Records label.<\/p>\n
It took a while to find his way into the scene, but fairly soon he was in a band with Walt Richmond and Jim Byfield. And is once more. Eventually, Casey joined Tulsa\u2019s multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated band The Tractors, which included Casey, Walt Richmond, and future Tulsa Groove member Ron Getman. Three members of the Groove (Richmond, Byfield, and Steve Hickerson), would back Bonnie Raitt during her tenure in Tulsa, playing shows in the area to (successfully!) protest the construction of the Black Fox Nuclear Power Plant. Walt would go on to play on Tulsan JJ Cale\u2019s Grammy-winning Gold album collaboration with Eric Clapton, The Road to Escondido, so impressing Eric that he\u2019s played on all but one of his albums since then.<\/p>\n
In recent years, Casey and Walt Richmond began to get tight, first recording classic Christmas songs, then writing original Christmas songs, then gathering at Walt\u2019s home studio to record more of their own originals and favorite covers, selecting the best players around to add their touches on a few songs at a time. This wasn\u2019t to satisfy anyone\u2019s record contract or dreams of stardom, but out of camaraderie and an enjoyment of each other\u2019s musical company; music for music\u2019s sake. There\u2019s a purity to that. This record, produced by Walt Richmond, showcases what they are capable of when they focus their in-demand skills on their own music. Carrying on the legendary Tulsa sound of forerunners like Leon Russell, JJ Cale and Elvin Bishop, the band is adding their own new flavors while keeping that historic tradition alive for current and future generations.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s where the Little Village Foundation came in. Little Village is a nonprofit record label which finds musicians who don\u2019t fit the relentlessly commercial values of the music industry and helps them to be heard. It is motivated by a faith that sees in diversity the seeds of empathy, and out of that connectedness the source of stronger communities and a better world.<\/p>\n
And here we have Heaven Forever<\/strong><\/em>. The title song, by Walt, is a dry, humorously twisted contemplation of the afterlife; \u201cwhat we gonna do with all that time\u2026is it too late to change my mind?\u201d The stage was set for a late April release, never imagining that a pandemic would be paralyzing the US and most of the rest of the world at the time. So, live performances to kick off the band\u2019s debut album were scrubbed but they have now recorded an episode of Working From Home, the series of streamed performances coordinated by both the Little Village Foundation and the Arhoolie Foundation for a July 8 broadcast. In spite of the unfortunate timing to debut a new group, Heaven Forever became a Top 40 album on the Americana charts.<\/p>\nIn fact, the response to the record has been 100% positive. The varied nature of the individual tracks resulted in the record being welcomed by such diverse media genres as blues, Americana, Grateful Dead fan sites, bluegrass, rock and mainstream music press including the following:<\/p>\n
Dan Forte of Vintage Guitar Magazine describes the record as \u201cSouthern soul, and country, with a helping of blues and a dash of jazz\u2026you\u2019ll be forgiven if you mistake Van Beek\u2019s vocals or Byfield\u2019s guitar (dig \u201cThinkin\u2019 \u2018Bout You\u201d) for JJ Cale himself\u2026And Richmond\u2019s humorously philosophical title tune would do Randy Newman proud\u201d.<\/p>\n
David Browne of Rolling Stone chimes in that \u201cThe sultry, laid-back Tulsa groove \u2013 familiar to so many of us by way of JJ Cale and Eric Clapton records \u2013 is as resilient as ever, thanks to session veterans who\u2019ve backed Clapton, Bonnie Raitt and many others.”<\/p>\n
Blues Blast Magazine goes all the way to write that “Casey Van Beek is a living legend\u2026You\u2019re listening to a veritable deity of the Tulsa music scene.”
\nCasey himself declares that \u201cAs far as I\u2019m concerned, we\u2019ve created a laid-back casual groove record true to Tulsa tradition\u201d.
\nWalt has remarked that what really defined the Tulsa sound was the groove, and hence the name he dubbed the band with. And Walt was right. Heaven Forever<\/strong><\/em> is about the groove(s), deep, wide, and frequent. It\u2019s wonderful American music that\u2019s fresh and fine and brand-new and simultaneously honors its Tulsa roots.<\/p>\nHeaven Forever<\/strong><\/em> by Casey Van Beek and the Tulsa Groove<\/strong> is out now via the Little Village Foundation and is available on CD and all the major digital platforms.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/littlevillagefoundation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/tulsagroove.jpg\")
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(l to r – Casey Van Beek – Steve Hickerson – Jim Byfield – Seth Lee Jones – Jared Tyler – Charles Tuberville – Walt Richmond)<\/em><\/center>
\nCasey Van Beek (lead vocals, harmony vocals, bass)<\/strong>
\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/littlevillagefoundation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Casey-VanBeek-21-300x300.jpg\")
Born in Holland, Casey came to the Los Angeles area at age five. He studied classical piano as a child, then took up the bass guitar. By 1961, he was singing and playing bass professionally in his band, The Vibrants. They did a six-year run at The Cinnamon Cinder in Long Beach, where Bob Eubanks booked popular acts into this young adult night club like The Dave Clark Five and The Rolling Stones in their first LA area appearance. Of course, they had their own band, but The Vibrants also backed The Coasters, \u2018Little\u2019 Stevie Wonder and Jerry Lee Lewis among many others. It was the 1960\u2019s! Casey went on to become part of Linda Ronstadt\u2019s band alongside Glenn Frey and Don Henley. After working with Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers, he moved to Tulsa in \u201975 to work with Don Preston of The Shelter People. In the mid 90\u2019s, Casey joined forces with Steve Ripley, Ron Getman, Walt Richmond and Jamie Oldaker to form The Tractors. Casey continues to write and record with friends.<\/p>\nWalt Richmond (producer, piano, organ, drums)<\/strong>
\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/littlevillagefoundation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Walt-Richmond-1-150x150.jpg\")
Walt began playing piano as a teen in Tulsa and went on to have a career as a side man, playing locally with many bands, including Rockin\u2019 Jimmy and the Brothers of the Night. He went on to play with The Band\u2019s Rick Danko for three years and Bonnie Raitt for six years. Working with The Tractors, Walt co-produced their first three albums and toured with them for three years. He also co-wrote The Tractors\u2019 hit single, \u201cBaby Likes to Rock It\u201d on the band\u2019s multi-platinum debut album. He started working with JJ Cale in 2004, touring and recording with him until Cale\u2019s death in 2013. He appeared on Cale and Eric Clapton\u2019s 2006 collaboration, The Road To Escondido<\/em> and has played on all of Eric\u2019s records since then, as well as joining him for two tours.<\/p>\nJim Byfield (lead guitar, background vocals)<\/strong>
\nRockin\u2019 Jimmy Byfield was born and raised in Tulsa. He studied guitar with the legendary Dick Gordon Sr. and made his way through decades of playing the Tulsa club circuit. In the early 80\u2019s, Rockin\u2019 Jimmy and the Brothers of the Night joined Bonnie Raitt in performances to stop construction of Black Fox Nuclear Power Plant in Oklahoma. Along the way, Jim recorded two albums that were released in Europe. One of Jim\u2019s songs, \u201cLittle Rachel,\u201d is featured on Eric Clapton\u2019s 1975 album There\u2019s One In Every Crowd<\/em>.<\/p>\nSteve Hickerson (lead guitar)<\/strong>
\nSteve has been actively involved in Tulsa\u2019s music community for over 40 years, including playing with Casey in the late 70\u2019s. He was another member of Rockin\u2019 Jimmy (Byfield) and the Brothers of the Night and has operated a guitar shop that specializes in fretted instrument building and repair work for over 35 years.<\/p>\nCharles Tuberville (rhythm guitar, background vocals)<\/strong>
\nBorn and raised in Southern Arkansas, Charles has worked professionally with many Tulsa bands since the late 70\u2019s. He worked with Jimmy Markham and the Caretakers as a guitar player, writer, and producer. At present he writes and records with Walt Richmond, Jim Byfield and Casey Van Beek. Tuberville released his own album, Somethin\u2019 In The Water<\/em>, in 2019.<\/p>\nJared Tyler (guitar, mandolin, dobro, background vocals)<\/strong>
\nA singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer in both Nashville and Tulsa, Jared Tyler began his professional career as a longtime side man to Malcolm Holcombe before releasing several solo albums, including the national release Blue Alleluia<\/em> (produced by Russ Titelman in 2006), Here With You<\/em> in 2010 (co-produced with Chuck Zwicky, mixing engineer for Prince) and his most recent, Dirt On Your Hands<\/em>.<\/p>\nRon Getman (acoustic guitar)<\/strong>
\nA native Oklahoman, Ron worked in New York as a session musician, playing and singing on hundreds of commercials as well as albums for many artists including Leonard Cohen, Loudon Wainwright III and Janis Ian. Tours followed albums, most memorably the Various Positions<\/em> tour for Leonard Cohen which introduced the legendary \u201cHallelujah\u201d to the world. Ron returned to Tulsa in the late \u201880s to co-own and operate The Church Studio, co-producing and performing for Roy Clark and Freddy Fender. He also recorded and played with Ronnie Dunn and was a member of The Tractors in the mid 90\u2019s.<\/p>\nSteve Bagsby (steel guitar)<\/strong>
\nSteve Bagsby was smitten when he heard Bob Will\u2019s \u201cTake Me Back To Tulsa.\u201d He\u2019s been a professional musician in Oklahoma for over 40 years, playing killer steel guitar. Steve has performed with the Texas Playboys, Hank Thompson, Roy Clark and many more. He was inducted into the Western Swing Hall of Fame and stays busy playing \u2018Okie Style\u2019 music in the Tulsa area.<\/p>\nSeth Lee Jones (guitar)<\/strong>
\nSeth is a master luthier, mentored by the legendary Dixie Michell, and a master slide guitar player. He is a highly respected member of the Tulsa music scene.<\/p>\nSteve Wilkerson (saxophone)<\/strong>
\nA graduate of the University of Tulsa, Steve played in the Stan Kenton band and has performed with seemingly everyone, from Barbra Streisand, Count Basie and Tony Bennett to The Temptations, Arturo Sandoval, Glenn Campbell and Herbie Hancock.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>